NEW - FILAB Consulting expertise is evolving:
Audit, applied research and R&D support services are now brought together within FILAB Genium, our specialized scientific consulting firm.
Turn your technical challenges and failures into applicable industrial solutions with the support of our experts.
Optimize your production processes with FILAB: the luxury industry case study
Analyze the client’s end needs
More than just a laboratory, FILAB provides support and consulting services to companies across all industries, helping them address their industrial challenges.
With this in mind, some of our luxury industry clients call on FILAB to improve their production process and adapt more effectively to changes in the sector. Indeed, the luxury sector must meet significant time constraints, with “fashion” very often lasting just a few months. Therefore, a product’s manufacturing lead times are an essential factor in a luxury company’s ability to respond to market demand.
Several factors can disrupt production and delay the launch of a product:
– Raw material shortages
– Non-compliant raw materials
– Productivity-related issues at production sites
– High scrap rates
– Etc.
FILAB’s primary objective is therefore to study the theoretical production flow of the components that make up the product and understand any malfunctions. To do so, FILAB works closely with its clients to analyze their challenges and assess the various approaches that could be used to resolve them.
A methodological approach combined with an analytical process
Through visits and audits at clients’ production sites, FILAB identifies potential anomalies in the supply of raw materials, manufacturing processes, material assembly, as well as the storage and transportation conditions of goods. The aim of this expertise is to propose practical, feasible solutions to better optimize the material/process combination and thereby prevent potential product failure issues.
Using a defect library is essential in this type of approach. The appearance of the finished product is a very important criterion in the luxury industry, and production requirements are extremely high. As a result, scrap and rework rates are often higher than the industrial average, forcing companies to overestimate their production volumes.
Through various laboratory investigations, FILAB characterizes defects and identifies their origins in the production process: raw material quality, chemical changes during the transformation process, machine settings, and more.
Depending on the results obtained, FILAB makes several recommendations for action aimed at improving manufacturing quality and therefore reducing waste and product rework:
– Define stricter raw material specifications based on quality criteria
– Implement internal quality controls upon receipt of raw materials
– Adjust the settings of certain machines (temperature, cutting, etc.) to reduce the risk of failure
– Automate certain operations to reduce production variations
– Provide training to support suppliers in implementing these new procedures.
– Etc.
Mastering the manufacturing process is a key success factor in this industrial context. Analyzing and then optimizing it will help reduce the rate of defective products, thereby limiting the need for overproduction and shortening delivery times.
FILAB: tailored support services
By applying analysis to your process, the support of an external laboratory enables you to combine a consulting approach with the implementation of practical solutions, thanks to tailored support that meets your needs.
With fewer points of contact and centralized actions, your projects are carried out in complete confidentiality and with greater responsiveness. Thanks to our experts’ cross-industry skills, FILAB has the expertise required to handle your R&D projects: literature reviews, site audits, training, new product development, and more.
For more information about our R&D support services, contact us here.
